$50,000 boost for nutrition programs at St. John's Medical Center

8-Feb-2017

St. John’s Hospital Foundation recently received a $50,000 grant
from the Walmart Foundation to fund healthy eating programs offered by
St. John’s Medical Center. St. John’s was selected because
of the Walmart Foundation’s interest in community programs that
improve nutrition.

“Community wellness is part of the mission of St. John’s Medical
Center. We now offer many nutrition education programs for the general
public and provide more options for healthy eating at the hospital for
our patients, visitors and staff,” noted wellness director Julia
Heemstra. “It’s gratifying to be recognized for the quality
and impact of these programs.”

New programs include:
• A variety of nutrition programs, support groups, and wellness coaching
with St. John’s registered dietitian Tenley Burlingame.
• Registered dietitian and diabetes educator Sarah Peterson offers
outpatient nutrition counseling, facilitates the weight management support
group, and leads the 16-week Diabetes Prevention Program
• Meals with a Mission, launched in 2016, prepares and delivers healthy
meals to oncology patients and their caregivers

St. John’s will continue to advance existing nutrition-focused initiatives,
including: the free, interactive educational programs Lunchtime Learning,
Dinner with a Doc, and Words on Wellness; the Worksite Wellness program;
and various support groups. Ongoing programs reach thousands annually
and include 1,300+ Teton County Worksite Wellness participants. In addition,
nutritional information is provided on patient room-service menus and
at Choices Café, the hospital’s cafeteria, which serves over
7,500 meals/month.

Already, St. John’s programs are making a difference. Choices Café
has decreased large soda cups from 22 ounces to 16 ounces, helping reduce
soda consumption by 12%. Proceeds from sales of soda (a less healthy option)
are used to subsidize the price of the salad bar, making prices for fresh
produce even more affordable. Choices Café also offers antibiotic-free
beef, nitrate-free turkey and ham, hormone-free milk, and produce from
Vertical Harvest.

“We’ve found that small changes in price and serving size impact
buying behavior and lead to healthier choices,” said Heemstra. “Recently,
we were amazed to see that salad bar selections comprised more than 85%
of lunches sold.”

Salad bar ingredients are all locally sourced when possible and made from
scratch daily. The addition of reusable salad bowls has resulted in both
an uptick in healthy eating and a significant decrease in waste. Within
the first month of introducing the salad bowls, the Hospital saved over
800 disposable salad bowls from the landfill.

According to Heemstra, “The changes we’ve made have helped
our employees, our patients, and our visitors—and are part of the
reason that Choices Café was named Best Ninja Salad Bar in 2015!”

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S MEDICAL CENTER
St. John's Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming, offers patient-centered
clinical excellence and community wellness services through a full-service
hospital, primary care, and specialty physician practices, and a long-term
care Living Center.

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The mission of the St. John’s Hospital Foundation is to secure philanthropic
support to advance the mission and strategic objectives of St. John’s
Medical Center, including patient-centered care, clinical excellence,
and community wellness. For more information, visit
www.stjohnshospitalfoundation.org